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Stevens Creek County Park hiking trails

 in Fitness  tagged fitness / fitness gear / hiking / hiking gear / lifestyle / outdoor fitness by
stevens canyon hiking trails stevens creek county park cupertino california
stevens creek county park hiking trails cueprtino
stevens creek county park hiking trails stevens canyon cupertino hiking outfit ideas

Wearing: winter jacket (machine washable and packable! Under $100) / knit hat (old, also love this one) / long sleeve tee / backpack / G buckle belt / light wash skinny jeans / spring nail polish / hiking boots (old, also love this pair) /

How pretty is this view! We hiked at Stevens Creek County Park for the first time last weekend, and it was a real treat! This large park puts you out in the wilderness just steps from Cupertino. There is a large network of hiking trails, some of which allow dogs, if your dog enjoys hiking too. You can also ride your bike on the some of the trails. Please refer to the trail map when you arrive to see which trails allow dogs and/or bikes.

The hiking trails at Stevens Creek County Park start from the multiple picnic areas where you can enjoy a picnic and then catch a trail. We hiked the Stevens Canyon Trail for the majority of the hike, which was just over three miles, and roughly two hours long. We had my daughter’s girl scout troop (they’re teenagers) with us, and her friend’s parents brought two dogs along for the fun. We had a blast!

The main attraction from the Stevens Creek County Park hiking trails is the view. You can see Silicon Valley from the viewpoints along the trails, and of course when you get to the top. These trails are medium difficulty and offer a lot of elevation changes, which is super fun!

Stevens Creek County Park is easy to get to from Cupertino. If you are traveling down N. Foothill Blvd, it turns into Stevens Canyon Road. As soon as you stop seeing homes (civilization), there will be a parking lot on your left. That’s a great place to park and enjoy the park! The ranger’s station is a few yards from the parking lot, hidden down the road. This is where you can find tri-fold maps to take with you on the hike. There is also an ancient communications device at the ranger’s station, aka a pay phone-and it works, we tested it! haha

For more information, please visit the county’s website.

If you’re local, I hope you have a chance to check out Stevens Creek County Park!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

stevens creek county park hiking trails

Leftover turkey recipe ideas

 in Entertaining / Home  tagged cathys original recipes / entrees / lifestyle / recipes by
turkey mushroom risotto leftover turkey recipe ideas

Pictured: Turkey Mushroom Risotto / dark blue dinner plate /

Did you host a holiday gathering at your home and end up with tons of Turkey leftover? Yeah, this happens to us every year after Thanksgiving. To combat the leftover turkey, I try to get creative and move away from eating turkey sandwiches for a week. This year I made Turkey Mushroom Risotto and a Turkey Casserole to help use up the leftover turkey. It was delicious! Although the casserole did end up making more leftovers for us since we are a family of five. Haha, but I digress. . .

I thought I would share these recipes with you, in case you are hosting a holiday event in December and are cooking a turkey. These recipes can also be used with chicken if you are not hosting, but are interested in cooking them anyway. The risotto is really good with chicken! The casserole can also be made with tuna. If you make it with tuna, add a cup of peas. Peas are yummy with tuna.

Without further ado, here are my two leftover turkey recipe ideas!

Turkey mushroom risotto

  • I.5 cups chopped turkey
  • 1 can chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cups sauteed mushrooms (Sautee in olive and garlic)
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 3 chopped garlic cloves
  • 1 cup cooked rice (I use jasmine brown rice; you can use the rice of your choice)
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 dash of black pepper
  • 3 dashes of paprika

Sautee mushrooms ahead of time. Cook rice in a rice cooker or your preferred way of cooking.

In a separate pot, mix all other ingredients together EXCEPT the parmesan. Simmer on medium for 45 minutes while rice is cooking.

When rice is done cooking, mix the rice and the parmesan into the mixture and stir until completely covered. Simmer another ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve and enjoy! You can top with more parmesan if you wish after plating. (Serves 6)

Turkey casserole

Pictured: Turkey Casserole / turquoise mug / dark blue dinner plate /

  • 2.5 cups chopped turkey
  • 1 lb. pasta (Shape of your choice)
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 2 cut and peeled carrots
  • 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 can chicken broth
  • 2 cans Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup
  • 3 dashes of paparika.
  • 1 dash of black pepper
  • 1 cup of crispy onions

Pre-heat oven to 350

Cook pasta and carrots. In a mixing bowl, mix all other ingredients together except the crispy onions.

When pasta and carrots are done cooking, mix together with mixture. Stir until completely mixed. Pour into large casserole dish and smooth out the top. Top the casserole with crispy onions and cover the casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes covered. Remove cover and bake an additional 10 minutes uncovered.

Remove from oven and serve. Yum! (Serves 10)

There you have it! Two leftover turkey recipe ideas you can easily make at home without much effort. I hope you are enjoying the holiday season, and enjoy the rest of it!

Things you might need to make these leftover turkey recipe ideas at home:

Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO

Cathy

Andouille sausage pasta recipe

 in Home  tagged cathys original recipes / entrees / lifestyle / pasta / recipes by
andouille sausage pasta recipe

Pictured: blue mug / turquoise dish /

Do you love pasta? Do you like pasta with a kick? Then this is the pasta dish for you! Andouille sausage has a nice little kick to it, so when it is paired with pasta, it makes a fun pasta dish, with a kick! Love that!

This is a really easy pasta dish you can make at home. It’s a fun way to mix American cuisine with and Italian favorite. Can we call this, Italian-American fusion? I think so!

Without further ado, here are the ingredients and directions to make this yummy andouille sausage pasta dish with chicken, at home!

Ingredients

  • 1/4 olive oil
  • 2 cloved minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 10 oz chopped andouille sausage link
  • 2 chopped tomatoes
  • 1 lb. pasta, your choice for shape
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 pats butter
  • 1/2 pound shredded chicken, or vegan chicken. Pre-cook your chicken! The tomatoes will turn the chicken pink, so you want to make sure your chicken is thoroughly cooked before mixing it with the tomatoes.
  • Season to taste: paprika, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper

Fill your large pot with water and bring to a boil. While you are waiting for your pasta pot to boil, mix your sauce ingredients together into a large sauce pot. The tomatoes will add a little juice to the sauce. This helps it cook, and keeps your sauce from drying out. Embrace the juice.

Cook the sauce on low for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

pasta recipe ideas

When your water in your pasta pot boils, add the pasta. Cook until your pasta achieves it’s desired tenderness.

Once your pasta is done cooking, and your sauce has cooked for 30 minutes, drain your pasta and add the sauce to the pot. Mix the pasta and the sauce together. Voila! You have finished cooking your andouille sausage pasta dinner!

Serve, top with grated parmesan, and enjoy! I hope you love this easy pasta dish with a kick! If andouille sausage isn’t your thing, you can always make this dish a milder sausage of your choice. The possibilities are endless!

Things you might need to make andouille sausage pasta at home:

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you love it!

XOXO
Cathy

andouille sausage pasta recipe